HOW I PAINTED THIS TRASHED VINTAGE CHAIR WITH *TEXTURED* FABRIC| YOUTUBE VIDEO COMING THIS WEEKEND!

Today I’m sharing a build-MY-confidence project. When I found this vintage chair curbside, I almost didn’t pick it up. If you’ve ever tried painting textured fabric, you know it can go wrong fast. The last time I attempted it, the finish turned out horrible – all stiff and cracked—not exactly the look I was going for.  But his vintage cutie was headed straight for the landfill—tired, worn, and covered in dated textured upholstery fabric—but still solid and with some potential. The bones were good, the shape was there… it just needed a second chance. So I decided to try a painted texture fabric chair makeover instead of reupholstering.

I gave it another try… and what happened next might surprise you. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this chair’s new painted look.

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This chair had definitely seen better days. The fabric felt dated, that old-school textured upholstery fabric that feels raised, uneven, and nubby. But underneath all that, it had a really great frame. No matter how bad the fabric is, if the structure is solid, it might be worth saving. And hey, I’m a softie for these curbshopped pieces. hehe

When I brought them down to my studio, it was time for a better look. The corners looked chewed up and tattered. It needed a cleaning.

But strucutally, it was still in good shape.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Vintage Chair – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Cleaning Brush
Best Dang Brush easy upholstery painting
2″ Angled Paint Brush for painting frame
Black Sands SILK Mineral Paint
Whitecap SILK Mineral Paint

Black Wax protection/sealing
Shop Vac
Heat Gun (25% off as of writing)

WORKING WITH TEXTURED UPHOLSTERY (What You Need to Know)

If you’ve got a chair like this, textured fabric behaves very differently than smooth upholstery. The raised areas tend to grab paint first, while the lower areas can stay untouched if you’re not careful. So instead of brushing like you would on a flat surface, you have to work it in. Tip – a good brush is key! You’ll be wetting the paint to make it more like a dye rather than a thick paint. And to work the paint/dye into the fabric, dabbing, pushing, and layering is the best way to go.

Also, texture can make fabric feel stiffer once painted if you overload it. So the key is:

• Thin coats
• Patience
• And building color slowly

Multiple light coats (usually 2–4) give you better coverage without turning your chair into cardboard.

CLEANING/PREP

Before anything else, I gave this chair a really good clean. Unfortunately, I don’t have a steam cleaner, which would have been ideal. Instead, I used soap, water, a brush for scrubbing and my wet/dry shop vac. Then, using a pair of scissors, I cut off all the fraying fabric in the two corners. It looks so much better once that was all removed. Then I used painter’s tape to mask off the frame from the fabric.

THE FIRST COAT (It’s Going to Look Bad 😅)

Let me just say this upfront…just like when painting wood furniture, the first coat is not pretty. With textured fabric, it can look patchy, uneven, and slightly concerning. Totally normal. To make things worse, I thought I was going to do a faux leather finish on this chair so I started with a brown paint. It looked horrible, and I soon realized that with the textured print, a faux leather finish would be impossible to achieve.

I pivoted my vision and switched to this Black Sands. As I mentioned, I’ve painted fabric chairs before and my preference is to keep it simple.

1. I add some water to a cup.
2. Dip my brush into the water.
3. Then dip my brush into the paint.
4. Then paint the fabric.
5. Then applied a very thin coat using more of a dabbing motion than brushing.

The goal here isn’t coverage—it’s a base.

Half way through I switched to this very large and natural bristle Best Dang Brush. I found it worked much better, and the two coats went on much faster. I let each coat dry overnight. I also gave the first coat a very light sanding before painting on the next coat of paint.

PREP & PAINT THE FRAME

Once the fabric was all painted/dyed and dry, it was time to paint the chair frame. I removed all the painter’s tape using my handy heat gun. If you don’t own a heat gun, a hair dryer works nicely too. Whatever you have to add warm air to loosen the stuck-on tape that’s been on there for a few days. Once the tape was removed, I gave the wood a light scuff with a 220 grit sanding sponge. I focused a little more on the chewed-up carvings but I’m not sure it made that much of a difference.

Then I went ahead and painted the entire frame in Black Sands mixed with Whitecap. The same color I painted the fabric but I lightened it up a little with the white paint. I also want to point out that taping off the fabric isn’t necessary if you’re using a quality brush and have a steady hand. Getting into the nooks and crannies and creating a perfectly straight paint edge along the fabric is easy when using the correct brush. I love this 2″ angle brush.

THE FINAL TOUCHES

To seal the painted fabric, I used black wax. This darkens up the fabric some more, and it will take 2-3 weeks to cure before I can sit on it and use this chair. Until then, it’s going to be strictly decorative. To enhance the wood floral carvings on the frame, I added a little black wax there too. It tied the entire look of the chair together beautifully. For lighter-use pieces, the waxing is optional.

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STEP-BY-STEP PAINTED CHAIR MAKEOVER